- Victory Day (Eastern Front)
:"For the song, see
Den Pobedy "In the
Russian Federation and someformer USSR countries, Victory Day [( _ru. День Победы, "Den' Pobedy"; _uk. День Перемоги, "Den' Peremohy"; _be. Дзень Перамогі, "Dzień Pieramohi"; _pl. Dzień Zwycięstwa; _kk. Жеңіс Күні, "Jeñis Küni"; _lt. Pergalės diena; _mo. Зиуа Викторией, "Ziua Victoriei"; _lv. Uzvaras diena; _et. Võidupäev; _tt. Җиңү көне|Ciñü köne)] marks the capitulation ofNazi Germany to theSoviet Union at the end of theSecond World War (commonly referred to in theSoviet Union and later, theRussian Federation , as theGreat Patriotic War ). This surrender document was signed late in the evening onMay 8 ,1945 (May 9 byMoscow Time ), following the original capitulation Germany agreed earlier to the jointAllied forces on theWestern Front . The Soviet government announced the victory early onMay 9 after the signing ceremony inBerlin [Ziemke Further reading [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/other/us-army_germany_1944-46_ch15.htm#b3 CHAPTER XV:The Victory Sealed] Page 258 last 2 paragraphs] , and established a yearly celebration throughout USSR.History
Two separate capitulation events took place at the time. First, the capitulation to the Allied nations in
Reims was signed onMay 7 ,1945 , effective 23:01 CETMay 8 . This date is commonly referred to as the V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) in mostwestern Europe an countries. The otherWorld War II victory day, theV-J day (Victory in Japan Day) is commemorated in August, and is of considerably lesser significance in Europe.However, the
Soviet Union 's only representative in Reims was GeneralIvan Susloparov , the Military Liaison Mission Commander. General Susloparov's scope of authority was not entirely clear, and he had no means of immediate contact with theKremlin , but nevertheless decided to sign for the Soviet side. Susloparov was caught off guard; he had no instructions from Moscow. But if he did not sign, he risked a German surrender without Soviet participation. However, he noted that it could be replaced with a new version in the future.Joseph Stalin was later displeased by these events, believing that the German surrender should have been accepted only by the envoy of the USSR Supreme command and signed only in Berlin and insisted the Reims protocol be considered preliminary, with the main ceremony to be held in Berlin, where Marshal Zhukov was at the time, as the latter recounts in his memoirs: [G.K. Zhukov, "Memoirs", Moscow, Olma-Press, 2002, p.329]Therefore, another ceremony was organized in a surviving manor in the outskirts of Berlin late on
May 8 , when it was alreadyMay 9 inMoscow due to the difference in time zones. Field-MarshalWilhelm Keitel submitted the capitulation of theWehrmacht to the Soviet MarshalGeorgy Zhukov in the Red Army headquarters in Berlin-Karlshorst. To commemorate the victory in the war, the ceremonial Moscow Victory Parade was held in the Soviet capital onJune 24 ,1945 .Celebration
During the Soviet Union's existence, the
May 9 Victory Day was celebrated throughout the USSR and in the countries of theEastern Bloc .After the fall of the communism in Central and Eastern Europe, several
former USSR countries, especiallyRussia ,Ukraine , andBelarus , retained the celebration and regard it as one of, if not the most venerated holiday/celebration of the entire year. Traditionally, ceremonial militaryparade s are held on the day, with the most prominent one usually inMoscow on theRed Square . Other countries of the formerEastern Block switched to recognizingVictory in Europe Day , and celebrate it on May 8 along with Western Europe.See also
*
End of World War II in Europe
*German Instrument of Surrender, 1945
*Minute of Silence
*Ribbon of Saint George
*Victory Day in other countries
*Victory in Europe Day
*Victory over Japan Day References
External links
* [http://english.pobediteli.ru/ Interactive map of the "Great Patriotic War" between the USSR and Nazi Germany]
* [http://economist.com/agenda/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3956125 Still jostling after all these years, The Economist May 10, 2005] (subscription required)
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